The Best Cookies Are Yet to Come

Here’s an easy hostess gift--cookie mixes in a jar. The jars are attractive enough to display a few on the kitchen shelf. Each jar contains the dry ingredients for making a batch of four dozen cookies. Choose from mixes for M&M;, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter chip or chocolate chip cookies, or brownies.

Cookies in a Jar, $18 from Lifestylz, 143 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 871-8963.

Perfect Pastel Plates

These attractive glass plates from local artist Beatrice Tesdorpf are soothing to look at with their frosted pastel and white stripes. The plates are handmade of fused glass. Choose from a square or long rectangular platter, either of which is perfect for showing beautiful salads and desserts.

Eight-inch glass plates, $125, and 17x6 1/2-inch platter, $255 from Soolip Bungalow, 548 Norwich Drive, West Hollywood. (310) 360-1512.